Connecting the dots: The nexus between transport and telecommunication in Ghana

This paper examines the relationship between transport and telecommunication in developing countries within the broader concept of Smart Cities. Using Ghana as a case study, and drawing mainly on secondary data and few institutional surveys, the paper establishes that telegraph and telephone facilities, as well as new fiber optic networks are heavily dependent on rights-of-way of roads and railways in Ghana, as was observed in the advanced countries. In addition, the paper observed that at the macro level, the nature of the relationship between telecommunication and transport tends to support the complementary role of telecommunication rather than a substitution role. The paper concludes by recommending further studies at the micro level to untie the dilemma in the nexus between telecommunication and transport to inform public policy.